Kennedys hires seven new legal apprentices and hosts launch of CILEx Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship

Seven new legal apprentices started at Kennedys on 30 September, while the international firm also hosted the launch of the CILEx Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship in Legal Services on the same day.

The apprentices will be trained as competent paralegals and will follow in the footsteps of Kennedy's successful 2012 intake. Five of the apprentices are school leavers, one had a gap year and the final apprentice had been working at Kennedys as a paralegal. The apprentices will combine paid work with monthly tuition and set work from educators at CILEx Law School.

Emma Phipps, HR manager at Kennedys, said: "The partnership between Kennedys and CILEx Law School is further evidence of how progressive law firms are broadening their approach to legal recruitment, recognising that some of the best potential lawyers of the future can be recruited on leaving school."

Meanwhile, Kennedys' apprentices were also in attendance at the launch of the CILEx Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship in Legal Services, which is set and assessed at A-level standard and is aimed at school leavers.

Alan Woods OBE, group chief executive of Skills for Justice, said at the event: "Apprenticeships, as we all know, provide work experience and knowledge, increasing the diversity of the workforce by facilitating access for a wider pool of job applicants. Most importantly, they dramatically increase opportunities for young people to develop fantastic careers in law. Apprenticeships are certainly an excellent way to recruit talent and develop skills and I look forward to seeing law firms taking new approaches to recruitment and training."